Industrial Engineer - Manufacturing Operations

Our client, a global leader in advanced technology and highly regulated manufacturing is seeking an experienced Industrial Engineer – Manufacturing Operations to lead continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives within a complex manufacturing environment.

You can get further details about the nature of this opening, and what is expected from applicants, by reading the below.

This position will focus on improving manufacturing efficiency, productivity, capacity, material flow, labor utilization, and facility operations. The ideal candidate will have a strong Industrial Engineering background with hands-on experience in Lean manufacturing, line balancing, time studies, process optimization, facility layout, capacity planning, and data-driven continuous improvement.

This is a highly collaborative role for an Industrial Engineer who can identify improvement opportunities, develop data-driven solutions, and lead projects from concept through implementation.

Key Responsibilities

Industrial Engineering & Manufacturing Optimization

• Lead Industrial Engineering and continuous improvement projects across manufacturing operations.
• Evaluate manufacturing processes and identify opportunities to improve productivity, cost, quality, throughput, and operational efficiency.
• Conduct time studies, line balancing, value stream mapping, process flow analysis, and work-cell optimization.
• Analyze material flow, labor utilization, equipment utilization, WIP, and manufacturing capacity.
• Develop and implement solutions that improve the utilization of personnel, equipment, and manufacturing space.
• Support new manufacturing lines, work cells, equipment installations, and facility expansion projects.

Lean & Continuous Improvement

• Champion Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies throughout operations.
• Lead structured problem-solving initiatives using data and operational metrics.
• Develop business cases for improvement projects and lead implementation efforts.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations teams to drive sustainable process improvements.
• Support change-management initiatives associated with new processes and operational improvements.

Capacity & Production Planning

• Perform capacity analysis and support labor/manpower planning.
• Analyze current and future production requirements to identify equipment, labor, and facility needs.
• Support long-range capacity planning for new products and sustaining production.
• Evaluate manufacturing constraints and recommend solutions to support production growth.

Facility & Process Design

• Review and optimize manufacturing layouts, work cells, process flow, and material flow.
• Support large-scale facility and multi-cell layout changes.
• Participate in new line and facility start-up activities.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) and manufacturing ramp initiatives.
• Utilize layout and simulation tools to evaluate future-state manufacturing concepts.

Analytics & Reporting

• Monitor operational metrics including labor hours, productivity, WIP, capacity, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Analyze operational data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Develop or maintain reports and dashboards supporting operational decision-making.
• Present findings and recommendations to engineering, operations, and management teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or a related engineering discipline required.
• 4+ years of progressive Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Experience with time studies, line balancing, capacity planning, labor/manpower planning, and process optimization.
• Experience analyzing manufacturing layouts, process flow, material flow, and work-cell design.
• Strong Excel and general data-analysis skills.
• Experience with facility/layout tools such as Visio, AutoCAD, or similar platforms preferred.
• Advanced analytics experience using Tableau, VBA, R, or similar tools is a plus.
• Simulation modeling experience using Simul8, Arena, or similar software preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification preferred.
• New Product Introduction (NPI) experience preferred.
• Experience within medical device, electronics, aerospace, automotive, or another complex/highly regulated manufacturing environment preferred.
• Experience working within formal Quality Systems is highly desirable.

Leadership & Competencies

• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead continuous improvement and change-management initiatives.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations. xhyhwjd
• Hands-on mindset with a strong focus on measurable operational results.

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA – Onsite

Travel: Less than 10%